Los Equipales
Written by mandoza on March 24, 2007 – 5:12 am -
4500 Silver SE
Albuquerque NM, 87102
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This a unique location! Los Equipales is located in the an old bank building at 4500 Silver SE, right next to Highland High School. From the outside, it doesn’t look like a restaurant but the huge signs all over the exterior tell you it is.
The interior is beautifully designed with warm colors, handmade chairs (los equipales), soft lighting and gorgeous tile. The walls are adorned with Mexican paintings and two bright parrots hang from the ceilings. The interior of Los Equipales is very welcoming, and I was greeted instantly and politely by the staff. This was more of a “fine dining” experience than I expected.
I wanted to try Los Equipales for quite some time, because I have read a lot of good things about this “hidden treasure.” The Mexican cuisine is thought by some, to be the best in Albuquerque. Once seated, the server brought out a plate with ranch dressing, a sprinkle of red chile and thinly sliced vegetables. The dinner menu offers appetizers, salads, house specialties, steak and Mariscos (seafood). There is also a wine menu and they proudly support local wineries. Even though the daily specials sounded enticing, I ordered the Queso Fundito (melted cheese with homemade chorizo and fresh corn tortillas) as an appetizer and the Tostadas de Jaiba (tostadas topped with guacamole and crab meat ceviche with Ranchero sauce).
The Queso Fundito was rich melted queso fresco with fresh chorizo on top and a side of salsa verde. The warm, soft corn tortillas were brought in a basket. This was the part of the meal that I enjoyed the most. The only drawback was that the chorizo was very oily so it was a messy dish (not a first dater) and I would have liked the oil to be drained off before it was added to the cheese. The Tostadas de Jaiba were two big tostadas covered with crab meat , diced tomatoes, cilantro and avocados. The crab meat was tender and the dish was beautiful. I expected more flavor, though - perhaps some limes with the dish. This was also hard to eat because of the tostadas, so this is also not a first date item. My husband tried the torta asada which was a thinly sliced lime marinated beef steak sandwich with beans, served on a roll. I also expected to taste more lime in this dish. The side garnishes were, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and homemade potato chips (much like those found at Greek restaurants). The beef was tender and tasty, but there was not much on the bun.
Overall, Los Equipales is a nice restaurant, a little more on the upscale side. However, the prices are reasonable and range from $6.95 for appetizers to $17.95 for seafood platters. The service was very good and the atmosphere was outstanding, especially on a night when there are guitarists playing. I had a nice dinner and enjoyed the sophisticated atmosphere, but if I were looking for the best Mariscos restaurant in Albuquerque, I did not find it here. I would recommend Los Equipales as a date location, with perhaps shopping in Nob Hill to follow a nice dinner.
Pros: Interior Atmosphere, Fair Prices
Cons: Exterior
Taste:
[rate 7.5]
Service:
[rate 8.5]
Ambiance:
[rate 9]
Overall Reader Rating
(6 votes, average: 7.33 out of 10)
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Posted in Mexican, Seafood |